Friday, May 29, 2009

This year an event was held on Friday 22nd May which not only satisfied the stomach, (yes, cakes again!!), but it enabled us to appreciate the talents of some of our fellow workers, who display their wares (individually made cards, jewellery, pictures etc.)

Thanks to all who supported the Coffee and Craft morning which raised £444 for MacMillan Cancer Support. Particular thanks should go to the cake/preserve makers for their carborific delights - and Sue Green and Barbara Landamore for spending hours of their free time making cards, and donating ALL the proceeds of their sales to the fund.

I'm sure everyone that went to the Teaching Lab. were impressed by the fantastic artwork/craftwork produced, not only by Sue and Barbara, but also the ladies from Physiology and Anatomy. All of the stands looked so inviting and they all complemented each other so well.

A paper by Heather M. Whitney, Lars Chittka, Toby J.A. Bruce and Beverley J. Glover in Current Biology shows that bumblebees can recognise the texture of petal surfaces by touch alone. More importantly, they choose to land on petals with conical cells that make it easier to grip, rather than on flat, smooth surfaces.